I had the privilege of speaking at the Geneva Conference on National Transformation in Kampala, Uganda on October 6, 2017. The three-day conference focused on transformation of Uganda and its leadership, especially in the arenas of science and technology, business, and industry. Attendees included approximately 60 members of the Ugandan Parliament.

My remarks addressed the importance of Emotional Intelligence (EI) in personal and professional lives. EI begins with being aware of and managing our own emotions, as well as understanding the emotions of others in a social setting. It was a very timely conference, especially in light of the physical brawl that took place in the Ugandan Parliament the week before we arrived.

The Conference was organized by the Geneva Institute for Leadership and Public Policy (GILPP), based in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Science and Technology Policy Institute, Korea (STEPI). Partners included Kumi University in Uganda, and the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology. CGS is partnering with GILPP in its goal of intersecting with and providing training for leaders from around the world. The main GILPP conference is in May each year, and my wife and I will attend in May, 2018.

Initial reports from members of Parliament indicate a very high level of satisfaction with the conference and its outcomes.

“Koreni” (Roots) was established in Skopje, Macedonia in November 2014 to serve as a catalyst for change through education development. At Koreni, we see 3 types of education opportunities in Macedonia: empowering local teachers, working with local students, and connecting with our community. Our primary focus is working with teachers and administrators, equipping them to improve their part of the education system.

We also seek opportunities to build up students directly, exposing them to modern teaching standards and techniques, with a purpose of bringing local teachers alongside us to see these techniques in action. Lastly, Koreni seeks to connect with the community of Skopje and all of Macedonia by meeting educational needs as we discover them.

In London, we have been working to connect with British organizations to mobilize them to meet the needs of their local and global communities. In particular, we have been working to connect with network leaders across the London area to encourage them to mobilize their networks to serve the refugee community, particularly those living in Greece. We look forward to seeing Europeans being the ones who step forward to impact the people living in Europe. We think that the current refugee crisis is a major way that this can both continue to happen and start to happen afresh.

A CGS worker spending time in Greece helping refugees has filed the following report.

Lesvos is an intense place. I’m halfway through a 2- week stay. It’s my 3rd visit to the island, and while I understand better how things work, it’s still overwhelming to see.

So far I’ve spent most of my time repairing and recouping tents. EuroRelief has dozens of brand new big 5-man tents, but the camp is so overcrowded that we simply don’t have empty ground big enough for them. So I’m trying to squeeze more life out of older smaller ones. The migrants keep coming, but no one seems to leave.

The most powerful aspect of this, obviously, is hearing people’s stories. And if you’re fortunate enough, to be a part of someone’s story. When I was here in April, I helped a guy from Iraq get settled into one of the plastic huts. I kept checking on him and we became friends. In July he was still here, and I got him to start translating for is, as his English is tremendous. Last week, I didn’t see him, so while I was disappointed, I was glad he wasn’t squeezed into Moria anymore. But I kept hearing about “Yogi”, the refugee guy who is acting caretaker/first responder at our camp on the north shore. Well, Yogi turns out to be my friend, and he is thriving up there in his new job.

A CGS worker living in Berlin and conducting research among refugees has filed the following report. We will keep you updated on further progress.

Reading statistics about all of the refugees coming into Europe is overwhelming. For me, visiting a refugee housing center made that general sense of overwhelming need more real. But where to start? So much could be done. There’s a lot that probably should be done. The dynamics of one group of people being pushed by violence out of their homeland into someone else’s are complex. Perhaps a good place to start is with questions; to take the obvious question “What do these people need,” and add to it “What do they have to offer?” I am intersecting with refugees across Berlin in an attempt to answer these questions.

Lydia – A Beating Heart is the first and only pro-life crisis pregnancy center in Macedonia. The Lydia Center is dedicated to counseling and helping women while promoting the value of life and the baby’s right to be born.

Our goal is to love, support, and assist women facing unplanned pregnancies, post-abortion trauma, and other family-related crises. We also aid impoverished women who choose life for their babies by giving out donations of clothing, diapers, and other baby necessities. There are multiple ways you can get involved! These include financial support and networking (tell your friends about us!).

“Koreni” (Roots) was established in Skopje, Macedonia in November 2014 to serve as a catalyst for change through education development. At Koreni, we see 3 types of education opportunities in Macedonia: empowering local teachers, working with local students, and connecting with our community. Our primary focus is working with teachers and administrators, equipping them to improve their part of the education system.

We also seek opportunities to build up students directly, exposing them to modern teaching standards and techniques, with a purpose of bringing local teachers alongside us to see these techniques in action. Lastly, Koreni seeks to connect with the community of Skopje and all of Macedonia by meeting educational needs as we discover them.

Celia Deneen and Dr. Leah Herod presented a one-day trauma basics conference, under the auspices of CGS, in Frankfurt, Germany on Friday, October 7, 2016.

73 were in attendance, representing a cross-section of people in the Frankfurt area, all of whom have been interacting with refugees, at least over the past year. Prior to and following the conference, Dr. Herod and Celia Deneen had the opportunity to counsel with refugees, listen to their stories, and help them in their difficult journeys. People of many different nationalities are now in Germany and are searching spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and physically, as their foundational beliefs about life have been shaken, due to war, uncertainty, loss, etc. Needs of the refugees can be seemingly overwhelming – many people are reaching out and welcoming refugees, but the refugees are legally unable to work, have few resources, are in crisis, and often do not know the language

People assisting refugees need encouragement and additional manpower to continue the efforts. Refugees are often under tremendous pressure from family members and others to find jobs, learn language, and assimilate into the German culture, and workers who are helping them in these endeavors often find themselves traumatized by their stories, difficulties, and perplexing problems. Finding genuine community and people upon whom refugees can depend is one of the key aspects of their assimilation into the German culture. The clash of cultures will continue – but we believe there is an opportunity for mutual transformation with the blending of different cultures.

Will you continue to stand with us to see acceptance by the German people of this influx of refugees; a desire by the refugees to become a part of the receiving culture; and flourishing of all who work with refugees?

According to recent statistics, 65 million people in the world today are displaced. Much of that people-moving has come as a result of war and violence in their home countries, and though the survivors may be physically safe in their new environment (as least compared to their home environment), they often experience great emotional and mental upheaval as a result of their experiences.

With a million new immigrants coming into Germany in the last year, that nation is laboring to welcome and assimilate the refugees into German culture. CGS is working alongside the church in Germany, as the German people know that understanding refugees’ psychological trauma and how it affects them is a key part of providing that welcome. German colleagues have invited Leah Herod, Ph.D., and Celia Deneen, M.Ed., to present a one-day workshop in Frankfurt on Trauma Basics for them and other interested participants across Europe. The workshop will address such topics as trauma and its anticipated effects, the interplay with cross-cultural adjustment, how the church can help, and what caregivers need to do to be prepared for the long haul. Dr. Herod and Celia also plan to meet with refugees in groups, including mothers and their children, in an effort to give them tools to deal with trauma.

One of the greatest needs in Germany and across Europe is for Arabic- and Farsi-speaking young men to engage with our colleagues who are working in refugee camps. The refugees have time on their hands, as they do not have jobs, are unfamiliar with the native languages of Europe and with European customs, and are looking for friends and people who either speak their language or are at least willing to spend time with them. If you are interested, will you let us know?